Yukhei has always been a clingy sleeper.

It's a habit he's always had, ever since they knew each other as toddlers,
stemming as far back as the very first time they had a sleepover.

It was Mark coming to Yukhei's place the first time they had a sleepover;
they both were 10 years old and they eagerly plan to be up all night playing
games. Needless to say they pass out shortly before ten on the same bed,
facing each other, arms and legs tangling.

Adding the body heat of another person makes it awfully warm at night, he
thinks, but it's not an uncomfortable feeling, either, so he accepts it.

Sprawling together like that becomes their mutual sleep habit for the
nights spent together for many years.

It's only when the boys are fourteen and, this time at Mark's place, and his
mother comes to wake the two up that this changes. As Mark rouses from a
peaceful slumber to find his mother inexplicably frowning at the sight of
the two of them entangled so, the routine is forcibly put to a stop.

She calls him into her lap after Yukhei has left to patiently, but firmly, say
they were too old to be sleeping together in such a manner.

Truthfully, he doesn't quite understand the argument there, he knows for a

fact that his mother and father sleep just as close at night, and they're
much older.

However, when he brings this question up, she only frowns further and
corrects, "Your father and I are married. You and Yukhei are not, nor can
you be. It's wrong."

Even though he doesn't think is wrong, or know how it could be, he listens
to her as she is his mother and her word is therefore law, and brings the
issue up to Yukhei the next time he comes to sleep over.

The two lie facing each other on the bed, and when Yukhei moves to place
his hands and legs inside of Mark's space, he moves back, making the
other boy frown in puzzlement.

He explains slowly and carefully what his mother has told him, and when
done, doesn't understand why Yukhei looks so utterly dejected. It's just a
part of growing up, isn't it? They can't act like children forever.

It also seems like the other boy seems to be grasping some concept that he
himself is still unaware of, one that makes him resistant to the situation
whereas Mark is simply going with the flow. When pressed about it though,
he only smiles unhappily and says he'll try his best not to invade Mark's
personal bubble.

For the first time, he turns his back on Yukhei to sleep that night.

He's unsure whether he can't sleep because of the eyes he feels boring into
him from behind, or because he feels bizarrely cold despite it being mid-
summer.

They lie awake for hours, and when his mother comes to peek in on them
on her way to bed, they both feign sleep. She seems content with the new
sleeping arrangement and comes in to kiss both boys on the cheek before
checking out for the night.

The other boy's breathing finally evens out as he manages to fall to sleep
just after midnight. With the uncomfortable sensation of eyes upon him
gone, Mark also slowly starts to doze off.

And then it happens.

Yukhei, completely unconsciously, moves. He scoots forward into his sleep,

until he is pressed up against the blue-eyed boy. His arms, as if with a
mind of their own, encircle his friend, pulling him even closer.

Suddenly, Mark is wide awake.

Somehow, this seems even closer than how they normally sleep. It is also in
direct defiance of his mother's wishes.

Frowning, Mark attempts to move away, only for the sleeping boy's arms to
tighten around him. Huffing, he looks back just to make sure Yukhei is
really asleep and not pulling some sort of weird joke.

He is, and… a face that had been troubled just minutes ago when he'd
chanced a glance at it now seemed perfectly at ease.

When he struggles harder to free himself from the boy's grasp, Yukhei lets
out a small whine of protest and stirs just enough to free him.

Not that it does much good, as the moment Mark is out of his hands he
comes searching for the other boy again.

Mark lies in the darkness for a while, and contemplates his options.
Ultimately, his decision is to reach over to his alarm clock and set it for
some ungodly early hour —seven o'clock, for even his mother wouldn't be
crazy enough to be awake at such a time on the weekend, and though his
father might be he wouldn't dare check in on them for fear of waking them.

He settles back into Yukhei's arms; the other boy sighs in content.

His mother would be unhappy… if she knew.

For now, he's, at the very least, not uncomfortable like this. It's no longer
cold.

He'll confront his friend about it in the morning. Right now, he'll sleep.

>>>

When the blaring alarm rouses him, fist slamming into the snooze button
with a vengeance, he discovers that Yukhei is still asleep and, yes, still has
his arms around him.

They spent the entire night sleeping like that.

The brunet's grip is much laxer now, though, and Mark pulls out of it with
only a small whimper of objection from the other boy.

Mark shakes him into awareness, and despite the rude awakening the boy
greets him with a sunny smile.

"Good morning, Minhyungie. Even though it took me a while to get to

sleep, I feel like I still slept really well. How about you?"

He slept well, despite the fact that he had been hugged tightly by someone
all night. For Mark, who hates being touched, this is strange; not in the
good way, either.

"You may have slept well, but you didn't keep to yourself. Also, I've told
you before not to call me Minhyung," he grumbles.

Yukhei blinks blearily, rubs his eyes, and frowns in befuddlement. "What? I
don't remember touching you at all."

"You did it in your sleep. You pressed up against me and held your arms
around my waist."

This is news to the other boy. "Eh? Did I really?"

For some reason, he's blushing.

Mark huffs and crosses his arms before turning to his dresser, intending to
get changed. "You did. Don't do it again or I'll be mad."

There's a pause, and then behind him an uncomfortable laugh, before —

"How embarrassing. I'm very sorry, Min- Mark. I promise I'll try not to let it
happen again."

"Then it's fine."

>>>

Only, it's not fine.

Despite his best efforts and good behavior, the moment Yukhei falls asleep
he reaches for Mark. Sometimes, Mark is still awake when it happens;
sometimes, he simply wakes, he always rises before Yukhei, who is quite
the heavy sleeper and to find arms not belonging to him in places they
shouldn't be.

He confronts Yukhei about it again, once, twice. The third time it happens,
they mutually agree that perhaps they shouldn't sleep over at each other's
houses for a while, though Yukhei looks really sad and Mark feels a little
unsettled, as well.

It's well over a year before the two spend a night alone together again, just
the two of them. That year puts something of a strain on their relationship.

The sleepover issue pervades its way into Yukhei and Mark's daily lives,
creating a tension that had never been there before. For three months
things start drifting apart.

It's ridiculous, really, because there is so much more to their friendship

than sleepovers: there is dancing, there is listening to hip-hop together,
there are the bike rides, the days spent together in class every year, and
other things, as well.

But this one thing is incredibly tense and awkward and Mark doesn't really
understand why, but he doesn't like it and he doesn't like that Yukhei walks
at a distance from him now, that he seems to spend more and more time
daydreaming and tuning out the world around him, never mind that Mark
does plenty of that himself.

Mark sees in his mother's face that she feels guilty… but also relieved.
He loves his mother, but, just for an instant, he hates her for this.
Resentment builds as he blames her for driving them apart.

But in the interim, there is Donghyuck. Donghyuck, who, with his

impossibly bright smiles and cheerful disposition, somehow manages to
worm his way into Mark's life and, in effect, Yukhei's as well.

Yukhei has always simply been there. From the start, he's been part of
Mark's life. He never had to work to be friends with the other boy, he
always just was.

Mark can't imagine life without Yukhei in it, because it's just not a life he's
ever known. Nor does he particularly want to.

But, Donghyuck. Donghyuck is new and exciting and he comes into their
lives like a tornado, fast and sudden and unexpected and then sticks like a
leech that refuses to leave.

Donghyuck is something of a miracle worker. He comes in just when it

seems like things are about to crumble beneath them and mends the tear
nigh instantaneously.

Much like Yukhei he seems perfectly content to seek companionship from

an incredibly unsocial person.

Yukhei grows to really like Donghyuck, and Mark doesn't dislike

Donghyuck, so the younger gets to squeeze his way into the friendship and
reform a collapsing duo into a stable trio.

The boy creates a perfect buffer to repair the original two's relationship.
They both can spend time together, with Donghyuck in between to cover
the awkward moments with his zaniness. They can adjust and find a new
balance with Donghyuck there to play mood-maker and make sure
everything stays happy and fun and lighthearted.

Donghyuck saves their friendship from detonating over a silly little thing,
and for that, Mark is… very appreciative. More grateful than words can
express. Not that he'd try to say such things in the first place.

He settles for accepting when Donghyuck invites both he and Yukhei to

spend the night at his house.

They're both a little tense at first; it's been almost eight months since
they've spent a night together, after all. But at the same time, they both
know that Donghyuck will be there, to be both the bridge and the wall that
they need.
After dinner Donghyuck's parents pull out a huge inflatable mattress and
set it up in the living room, intending for the three of them to share it.
They won't get the easy way out of separate bedding, then.

Mark bites his lip, Yukhei clenches his fist. Together, they stare at the
mattress in trepidation.

But then Donghyuck is running between them with a gleeful shout to leap
onto the mattress, bouncing once, twice, then rolling around and finally
flopping down in utter bliss right in the center of it.

The boy's father chastises him while Yukhei can't help but laugh, and even
Mark feels the corners of his mouth twitching upward against his will.
Donghyuck brushes off his father's words with a simple, shameless "Sorry!"
and looks to his two friends. "Aren't you coming? The mattress is super
comfy!"

The two share a glance and join him on the bed; Donghyuck in the middle
separating them.

The three stay up for a few hours, just talking and joking. Donghyuck
discovers Yukhei is something of a scaredy cat, and takes great amusement
in telling every horror story he knows, improvising as he goes. Mark allows
himself to simply relax and bask in the joy of being with friends. He
doesn't worry too much about Yukhei's every pale face or pained moan,
because every time the boy truly starts to shake in fear he'll simply reach
over and grab Mark's shirt sleeve, clinging onto it for a short while,
borrowing all the courage he needs to go on. Yukhei feels at ease when
he's touching Mark —and that's alright.

The connection they share is still there, and stronger than ever.

Eventually Donghyuck's mother comes out to tell the three to go to bed

already or they wouldn't be getting treats in the morning. Of course, that's
all it takes to get them to quiet down.

The three settle down on the mattress, which is big enough for them to lie
with space in between them, the two childhood friends very conscious of
each other, with Donghyuck in between acting as the perfect barrier.

As the shield against all of the tension, the silence, and the strange sense
of pain and loss that had become the new norm for the two.

Right now, in this moment, it feels like everything will be okay again.

Just when they're all starting to doze off, though, Donghyuck speaks up.
"Oh, by the way, Mom says I roll around in my sleep a lot, and often end up
clutching a pillow, so don't be too surprised if I kind of end up clinging to
one of you, okay?"

The room falls silent, as two boys suddenly hold their breath.

After a moment, Mark finds his voice. "What?"

The blond squirms for a moment, trying to get comfortable, and

apologizes in advance, "Yeah, sorry, I really can't help it. Some people just
like to sleep holding onto something, I guess. It doesn't mean anything so
don't freak out over nothing."

The words strike Mark very hard, at least. …doesn't mean anything…
nothing…

He suddenly feels pretty stupid. He'd been denying Yukhei something that
couldn't be helped because his mother had made him think to continue on
in such a way would lead to something bad, but what if that wasn't the
case?

For Yukhei, that's just how he sleeps. It can't be controlled. If he preferred

to sleep holding tightly to something, it didn't matter if that something was
Mark.

Something he'd been flipping out about and had almost torn their
friendship apart for… ultimately, meant nothing.

He feels like a huge idiot. He wonders if Yukhei is coming to the same

revelations right now.

However, his introspection is cut short by a smaller body draping itself

across him.

"What the—?" Donghyuck has his arm across Mark's shoulder, and his head
on his chest, blond hair falling somewhat into the elder boy's face.

If Yukhei likes to press himself against something, Donghyuck could be

said to like lying partially on top of something, though he'll also be happy
snuggling into someone from the front if they're lying on their side.

"Whoa, amazing, Minhyungie-hyung! You're actually really comfortable! I

thought you might be bony, but you're not at all!"

"Don't just suddenly turn me into your pillow! And don't call me Minhyung!"
His best efforts to dislodge the young boy just end in him attaching himself
even tighter, like a barnacle. Yukhei laughs quietly at the sidelines, and
Mark, finally giving up, meets the other boy's eyes.

Looking away, he mutters, "Well, whatever. I guess this is fine. Since it

doesn't mean anything. I'll get used to it."

He wonders if Yukhei catches his meaning. It's impossible to tell, because

all the other boy says is a simple, "Goodnight, Minhyung," before turning
on his side away from the scene.

He settles back down, attempting to get comfortable with this second

individual attached firmly to his person. The feeling is foreign, but, much
like Yukhei, not uncomfortable.

Still, he struggles to sleep with no clear idea why.

When he wakes in the morning he finds that he has somehow impossibly

become the middle of the sleeping arrangement. Donghyuck still sleeps
with his head on Mark's chest, and Yukhei is nuzzled into his back, arms
once more around his waist.

The heat of these two other people on him is incredible, and yet not
suffocating. He actually… feels sort of content.

As he lies there, waiting for the two of them to wake up, he comes to a
decision: if Yukhei wants to snuggle, then so be it. It doesn't mean
anything, so it's fine, so long as his mother doesn't catch them and
misinterpret again.

For a little while, time is spent between the three of them blissfully. There
are three-person sleepovers, or sometimes just two. Yukhei
always, always seeks Mark out in his sleep but never beforehand and every
morning after he asks to be sure —and because it appears to be what
Yukhei wants, Mark lies every time and says that he kept to himself all
night.

He doesn't force the issue because Yukhei clearly has radically different
conscious and subconscious desires so it's best to let him be. Even if Mark
is fine with the touching, Yukhei, evidently, is not, so he keeps silent so as
to not pain his friend.

>>>

After Donghyuck comes Jeno.

Where Donghyuck is something of a stabilizer (ironic, given that he is
probably the most impulsive of the bunch), Jeno could be called the exact
opposite. Where the younger is the anchor that kept the two childhood
friends grounded, Jeno is a rocket, blasting them ever forward.

Jeno is a wild card that shakes them to the core —Jeno is the one to change
everything.

Because, Jeno… he accomplishes something no one, not even Yukhei, could

do: he spurs the ever-passive Mark Lee into action.

For the first time, Mark feels the sense of competition. He has never cared
for it before, practice was fun, but with Jeno egging him on suddenly he
wants to —to study harder, to train harder, to get that much better. To do
more.

It's a foreign feeling, much different than his peaceful feelings brought
about by Donghyuck and Yukhei. This feeling makes his blood rush, his
heart speed up, his breath come short and fast. This feeling is exhilarating,
and despite his sincere attempts to avoid it, avoid Jeno and this strange
(but good, but bad because it's so good and he doesn't understand why)
new feeling, he gets swept away in it.

He gets a little caught up in it, the feeling of himself and Jeno; this itself
being strange because until now his name had only ever been lumped with
Yukhei's.

But Jeno is unlike Donghyuck who slid into Yukhei and Mark's friendship,
sealing it shut behind himself and creating the seamless friendship in its
own perfect world separated from reality.

Jeno busted down the wall and, with a cocky grin and wave of the hand, led
Mark out leaving Yukhei and Donghyuck behind.

That's not to say that Jeno isn't friends with the other two; merely, that he
has a connection with Mark not shared with anyone else.

In the year that they become friends, Jeno and Mark only have two
sleepovers: one with all four of them at Jeno's house, and the other just the
two of them, at Mark's.

The first, at Jeno's, happens a mere month before he intends to leave for
Australia — but of course, he hasn't told them that yet. They all stay up
until about two in the morning playing videogames, with his little sister
Jihyun watching them until about eleven-thirty.
Much like at Donghyuck's, a huge mattress is brought out for them all to
sprawl upon and sleep together. Yukhei had been the first to fall asleep
whilst Mark and Jeno played a fighting game, so pretty much the moment
Mark lays down beside him the brunet comes grasping for him.
Donghyuck, too, goes straight for Mark's chest the moment he settles
down.

For them, this is natural; the way it's always been.

Jeno eyes the scene somewhat incredulously before Donghyuck declares,

"Come join the dog pile!"

Then, he laughs and does just that, literally jumping down upon his
friends, startling Yukhei awake, and even Jihyun in the next room, who
runs in to yell at her brother before remembering he has three male friends
over and she's only wearing a baggy t-shirt for pajamas. Then, she blushes
furiously from her head to her toes, spins on her heel, and races out,
crying out an, "Jeno-oppa, you idiot!" in the process.

The boys all laugh, even Mark. Jeno says fondly, "She's a pest, but she's
cute, yeah?"

Yukhei and Donghyuck give a favorable reply, and Mark chooses to stay
silent. As he expected, Jeno pounces on them, threatening, "I'm glad you
think so, but if you ever touch her I'll have to kill you."

Donghyuck just laughs; Yukhei pales, until he realizes the other boy is
joking, upon which he also laughs, albeit less boisterously.

The boys settle down. Yukhei, realizing how close he is to Mark, scoots
away only for Jeno to squeeze into the newly made opening. "I guess I'll
join you guys in your weird touchy-feely sleeping ritual," he says cheerfully.

And so they sleep like that; Yukhei and Jeno facing each other with their
limbs not touching, Jeno pressed back-to-back with Mark, who still has
Donghyuck firmly nestled into his chest.

Mark finds the heat coming from his and Jeno's joined backs to be blazing.
It sends a not-unpleasant thrill through his body, racing through his veins.
His face feels warm for some reason.

He doesn't sleep well that night. He's unsure whether it's due to the intense
heat resonating between himself and Jeno, or the disturbing feeling of
something missing.

>>>
The next time they hold a sleepover, it's two days before a performance at
school.

Three before Jeno will disappear, possibly forever.

In a fit of something akin to desperation Mark does something he's never

done before: ask someone to spend the night.

Always… it had always been Yukhei reaching out to him, asking for
sleepovers. And then Donghyuck doing the same.

Mark has never had to, nor has he wanted to, reach out like this. But now
Jeno's making him redefine everything he knows.

Jeno smiles and accepts when he asks, and then brags about it at lunch to
Yukhei. The brunet is all smiles today, but he corrects Jeno without even
thinking when the other says Mark invited him to spend the night.

"You mean you asked Mark, right?"

Jeno furrows his brow, puzzled, and says, "No, I meant what I said. Mark
invited me. Why would you think otherwise?"

Of course Jeno, who has only been to one sleepover with them thus far,
wouldn't understand. But Yukhei has always been there; he knows Mark
better than himself.

He understands the significance of this, and he can't mask his crushed

expression quite fast enough.

Mark suddenly wishes that he'd told Jeno to keep it to himself. He's not
nine anymore; not quite so naïve and oblivious as he once was. Yukhei is
jealous of Jeno. He knows this. Yukhei is hurt because he feels that Mark is
choosing Jeno over him.

But Yukhei and Jeno occupy two very different places in his heart. Yukhei is
his best friend, the person closest to him, a constant in his life that will
never go away. Jeno, on the other hand… Jeno is —a friend, yes, but also
not. Jeno is a rival and rather than someone whom Mark feels at peace with
is someone who makes his heart beat faster, thumping loudly in his chest.

However, no one will replace the role Yukhei fills; he has no cause to be
upset, unless…

"Hyung?" Jeno's concerned calling brings him back to the present, where
Yukhei pastes a smile on his face, hurriedly getting up.
He waves his arms, sort of flailing around helplessly like a beached whale
and exclaims, "That's great! Well, I hope you have fun! And, I've told you
before you can call me ‘Yukhei’. Anyway, I really need to go to the
bathroom all of a sudden. I think I ate something bad. Later!"

Yukhei glances at Mark, and he can't bring himself to look away from the
hurt reflected in his eyes. The brunet turns swiftly and all but flees the
scene.

Jeno watches him leave, troubled. "That was weird. Don't you think?"

Mark can only grunt in response. His chest suddenly aches terribly, and he
fears if he speaks all that will come out is a pained moan.

Settling down in his seat, the boy carries on, "Anyway, I've told him that if
he starts calling me by my name I'll call him by his. Well, whatever."

With Mark unable to speak much and Donghyuck in a different class, lunch
is a quiet affair. Yukhei doesn't return until lessons start back up.

Dinner that night is a bit awkward. Mark has had Yukhei and Donghyuck
sleeping over before, but Jeno is a new face to his parents, and, in addition,
if their expressions are anything to go by, they both seem to find the lack
of a certain someone else by his side a little disconcerting.

Truthfully, he does, too.

However, the atmosphere warms quickly. Jeno is a natural charmer and by

the end of dinner Mark's pretty sure his mother is somewhat in love with
him, and his father just keeps ruffling Jeno's hair and calling him a good
kid.

He feels like he's watching an alien scene.

They retreat into his room after this goes on for a while. As something of
an afterthought, Mark locks the door —he finally understands what his
mother was so afraid of happening between himself and Yukhei years ago,
and it seems like instead that might be what's about to happen with
someone else entirely.

His mother would be unhappy… if she knew.

Not noticing what he's up to, Jeno sighs and fixes his hair. "Hey, Minhyung-
hyung. Are your parents usually that, uh… affectionate?"

"No," he answers curtly, "they're generally quite reserved."

Sitting down on Mark's bed, Jeno looks up at him and inquires, "Like you?"

"I suppose so."

"So this was some sort of freak incident, then?"

"It definitely wasn't normal."

Letting out another sigh, the younger flops fully onto Mark's bed —and
pillow— without a care in the world. "Ah, that's good then. Otherwise I
might have had to inform you that you're adopted, and that would've
sucked."

Mark scowled. "I've seen the baby pictures and birth certificate to tell me
otherwise."

Jeno lets out a bark of laughter, shifting so that Mark has room to sit on
the bed. "So, what do you want to do?"

His room is pretty sparse; unlike his friends who all have videogames Mark
simply has a television in the corner of his room. There is a computer in
the living room, but that would require going outside of his bedroom,
which he doesn't particularly want to do.

They end up watching three movies in a row and turn in before midnight.

This time, the two of them lie facing each other, and each time one of them
shifts, their arms and legs brush. They stare into each other's eyes
unblinking, heads close enough that their breath mingles.

The pressure builds. Something's about to happen, something that could

change everything.

Sure enough, Jeno gulps down a steadying breath, and starts, "Hey, hyung."

Mark shifts a fraction closer; their arms and legs touch, and neither move
away. "Yeah."

"Have you… have you ever kissed anyone before?"

This is it. "No. You?"

The black-haired looks away as he admits, face burning, "…I haven't,

either."
His own face feels incredibly warm. Actually, his whole body feels as if it's
on fire. "I see."

Jeno shifts closer; their foreheads touch and they share the same air. "…But
you know, my mother told me that your first kiss is one of the most
terrifying experiences you ever go through."

He stares into the others eyes, murmurs, "Is that so."

"So I figured, to make it a less frightening experience, you should definitely

have your first kiss with someone you're comfortable with, right?"

Briefly, Yukhei's face flashes into his mind. To Mark, that's what Yukhei is:
an ever-present comfort and security. Nonetheless, he shifts closer, their
noses bumping awkwardly, closes his eyes, and answers, "Makes sense."

I want this.

Getting the answer he wanted, Jeno lets out a shaky breath, and then the
small space between their lips is gone. The pressure is light, the kiss,
closed-mouth and chaste.

And yet, it lingers. The simple touching of their lips sends another lick of
flame sending through his body, and Mark kisses back, putting more
pressure and passion into it.

They lie there, simply letting their mouths be pressed together and
enjoying the feeling, until they finally run out of air and break apart.

It feels like eternity; it only lasted a minute.

And then Jeno starts to lean in again, and—

Almost in spite of himself, Mark pulls away.

If he had to guess a reason, he'd blame it on the terminology Jeno had

used. "Someone whom I like, someone who I am close to, someone who
makes my heart beat faster, someone whom I care about…"

Anything would have been a fine alternative. There's no denying that Mark
does want it, want this, want Jeno.

But, Mark is not comfortable with him. If anything, it's the opposite; he's
never more on edge, feeling too much, than when he's around the other
boy. When he's near Jeno, his heart and blood races, and he can't settle
down.
It's a thrilling feeling, but at the same time he definitely can't say it's a
comfortable one.

Jeno reminds Mark of fire. Of a wildfire, the heat moving quickly and
intensely; inescapable. Perhaps Jeno's appeal is the excitement of seeing
how long you can last around him without being burned.

In comparison, Yukhei… Yukhei is like a campfire, small and contained,

with very little danger and pleasantly warm.

Mark won't kiss Jeno again, because he refuses to kiss him while thinking
of someone else.

The younger notices immediately that he's stopped, and pulls back, as well.
He laughs, even, playing it off with a, "Ah, well, it's good to have that out of
the way, huh, hyung?"

Unable to meet Jeno's eyes, he turns around, and responds with a

despondent, "Yeah."

The other boy is silent for a moment, before turning around, as well, and
they lie quietly with their backs touching. The heat is sweltering.

He wants to —to do something out of character. To maybe just say that

now that the first kiss is done, they could move on to the second one,
wherein they kiss someone they like instead. He wants to turn around and
seal their mouths together again.

But Yukhei's face is stuck in his mind, haunting him.

Instead, he simply opens his mouth and says, "Mark."

Jeno stirs from where he'd already been dozing off. "Huh?"

"…From now on, call me Mark. Understand… Jeno?"

The sound of breathing behind voice of someone who doesn't know what
to feel. "I understand. Then, Mark, thanks for having me over."

He closes his eyes and tries to focus on sleep. "Of course."

>>>

As quickly as he'd come into their lives, Jeno is gone again, with the only
thing to remember him by being a buried trophy and his scent on Mark's
pillow, which fades within a week. Donghyuck, a year behind the rest, also
gets left behind.

It's only he and Yukhei again.

It's strange to be just the two of them when he'd finally gotten used to
three, four people in the group. When, so caught up was he in Jeno, he has
been ignoring the person supposed to be closest to him for a while, and
lunches are silent and awkward.

He wonders now how they ever filled the time with just the two of them
before Donghyuck and Jeno came into their lives.

It takes them a few months to return to the way they'd been before, having
only each other. Even then, something has changed: Yukhei is cautious and
guarded around him for a time. It's as if, in the wake of Jeno, he feels he
can no longer get truly close to Mark.

It is definitely the brunet creating the distance between them, as Mark acts
normally. Even then, he does allow the abnormal action of not calling his
friend out on his behavior, weighed down by a feeling akin to guilt.

The two pretend nothing's changed, still doing things like spending all of
their time together and holding sleepovers. Eventually, they manage to
convince themselves that everything really is alright.

And then Jeno is back for the holiday and he and Mark are racing and once
again, everything falls apart.

He's now old and wise enough to realize with painful clarity that there is
more going on than just training between them. He's smart enough to
know that Yukhei is also involved.

He feels like he's being pulled in two directions. He thinks of Yukhei, and
then Jeno, and feels with absolute certainty that if they keep treading the
same path, something is going to break.

Or perhaps, he thinks, looking down in horror as Jeno fails to keep the

tears from streaming down his face, something already has.

As he announces his decision to quit the dance team the following day, he
wonders if this could have been prevented if only he'd chosen to kiss Jeno
back that night.

>>>
Seventh through tenth grades pass in a blur of inactivity, boredom and
frustration. Only one thing of note happens in all that time:

At the beginning of Mark’s second year of high school, Mark's parents

move.

His father is offered a significantly better job a few hours away, and, with a
little searching, his mother manages to find a position similar to the one
she currently has in the same city. He could have gone with them, but
without saying anything (never raising a fuss, not when it came to his own
feelings) Yukhei makes it plainly clear he'd be entirely alone if that
happened. Mark reads the clear desperation and hope that can't be
suppressed in the brunet's eyes, and decides instantly that he can't leave;
he refuses to do that to him.

It is surprisingly easy to convince his parents to let him stay in the house
alone. They seem assured enough simply knowing that Yukhei lives close
by, and that Mark is always welcome at his house.

His mother stresses that he must go over and have dinner from time to
time, if only so he doesn't live off of just ramyun, to make her happy he
agrees, though he also can't help but argue that he sees nothing wrong
with his eating habits.

Yukhei all but insists he spend that first night his parents are gone with
him, so that he "won't be lonely". Mark doesn't see much point in this since
he'll have to adjust to living alone sooner or later, but agrees to it
nonetheless.

They see his parents off together, with the two dragging a promise out of
Yukhei to take good care of their son in their absence. The taller boy
consents to do his best, and Mark is relieved that his mother doesn't seem
to notice the brunet's lightly dusted cheeks, as she'd surely reconsider
asking for such a favor if she did.

The moment they're out of sight, Yukhei lets himself blush intensely,
forgetting for a moment about Mark as he palms his cheeks with one hand
and murmurs to himself, "No, but seriously, asking me such a thing… Do
they think I'm his mother? Ah, so embarrassing…"

Mark shoots his friend a pointed look and says, "The person you're talking
about is right here. And you can't be my mother as she just walked out the
door."
Yukhei snaps to attention and his face turns redder still. He lets a flustered
"Minhyung!" slip from his lips. Mark simply glares at him for the mistake
until he wilts and apologizes under the pressure, color very slowly fading
from his cheeks.

Other than that, the night passes without a hitch; the two share a bed even
still, despite being far too old for the action to be considered anything but
inappropriate, with Yukhei nervously making the excuse of, "It's fine, so
long as we don't actually touch each other, after all."

The problem arises in the morning when, for the first time ever, Mark does
not wake first.

As the sunlight filters in through the shades, he blinks his eyes open and
finds himself unexpectedly cold; the warmth he is used to feeling pressed
against his back and around his waist distressingly absent.

Yukhei's side of the bed is cold, implying he's been gone for quite some
time. Mark considers the likelihood of the brunet being so spooked upon
waking in such a position that he left the house and returned home rather
than face the consequences.

The smell of something burning proves his theory incorrect.

Mark frowns and rolls out of bed, goes to the bathroom to relieve himself,
and then wanders into the kitchen a few minutes later to find Yukhei
staring at a small stack of blackened pancakes in dismay.

He stares at them for a moment as well before turning to address the other
boy, startling him. "It's not ramyun."

After Yukhei calms down from the sudden scare he faces Mark with a frown
that looks more like a pout. "Of course it's not ramyun! You have enough of
that as it is." He really doesn't see why that's such a big deal. "I thought I'd
fix something else for us instead, but…" he trails off, staring forlornly at
the burnt pancakes.

Yukhei's cooking is something of a hit and miss. He's generally decent; not
terrible, but not good, either. However, it's rare for him to mess up so
horribly on something as simple as pancakes, implying to Mark that
perhaps he's more unnerved than he's letting on.

The brunet sighs and mutters, "Well, I guess I'll just have to keep trying."
"Wait." Mark comes up beside him, noting that as he does so Yukhei jumps
and tries but fails to subtly put some distance between them. "Let me fix
some ramyun."

It’s not that Mark is a better cook, his cooking skills are limited to know
how to prepare good ramyun.

The brunet avoids eye contact and grumbles, "I said I wanted us to eat
something other than ranyum…"

"Freshly served ranyum is better than burnt pancakes," comes the blunt
reply.

Yukhei sighs in a mix of exasperation and resignation before taking a seat.

While he cooks, Mark sneaks glances at his friend: the doe-eyed teen is
slumped forward in his seat, head on the table, facing away from him.

Yukhei is clearly bothered by what he knows to have happened in his sleep,

and is smart enough to probably realize that this wasn't just a one-time
occurrence; however, he isn't saying a word about it.

The feigned ignorance in the silence vexes Mark for reasons he can't quite
comprehend.

And so, as he finishes the food and sets a plate down in front of his friend,
he makes sure to catch the other's eyes, projecting his displeasure with a
succinct, "So?"

It is a fact that Mark knows Yukhei better than anyone; through years of
experience, reading the brunet's every thought comes like second nature to
him. Yukhei's eyes don't lie, always expressing that which he desires but
refuses to talk about.

It's probably why the other boy has gotten into the habit of looking away in
serious moments, he knows just as well that he'll be exposed otherwise.

The connection works both ways, however, and this is something that Mark
sometimes forgets. He can't help but be startled as Yukhei stares into his
eyes and then, understanding just like that, droops in submission.

"I've always slept like that, haven't I? I never actually stopped. You just told
me I did."

The statement is spoken flat, with an undertone of shame. It makes his

chest clench up unpleasantly. Yukhei in pain is causing him pain, as well.
He wants to say something, to put his friend at ease. He murmurs a quiet,
truthful, yes instead.

"Why?"

Why, indeed.

Since lying has come back to bite him in the ass, he sticks with honesty:
"Because you were happier this way. And because I genuinely don't mind."

Yukhei looks back at him through unhappy eyes. "I don't understand what
you're saying, Mark."

Mark sighs and mutters unhappily under his breath about having to
elaborate when it's embarrassing enough as it is. His friend simply stares at
him, unmoving, until he relents. "You've always wanted to be told, the
morning after every night we spend together, that you did in fact manage
to sleep without touching me. You're happier thinking that. Despite that
seeming to be your sincere wish, you also always grab me the moment you
fall asleep. I don't care how you choose to sleep. I… don't mind sleeping
like that. It's… not uncomfortable," he says, ignoring the way his ears burn,
"and the few times I've tried to shake you off in your sleep you refuse to let
go and end up sleeping fitfully, so I left it alone since I always wake up
first. I thought it better to let it be rather than confront the issue.

"Until today, I've always woken up first. I didn't intend for you to ever know
and be troubled by it, since I was fine this way."

Yukhei hangs his head, hiding his eyes. His voice trembles as he argues,
"No, you shouldn't have let this go, Mark. It's one thing to cling to you as a
child, but now… it's wrong, and if you don't force me to stop… then I never
will. I thought I was strong enough to be able to stop on my own, but I
guess that's not the case…"

He can't help the scowl that springs to his face as the brunet puts himself
down. A sharp "What makes it wrong?" comes flying unbidden from his
mouth.

Big eyes stare at him in doubt. "I…"

He trails off, unable to answer, and averts his eyes once more, desperately
trying to hide himself away from the searching stare of his friend.

"I don't think it's wrong," Mark insists. "Everyone prefers to sleep in
different ways. If you like to hold onto me, that's fine. It doesn't mean
anything, so stop freaking out about it."
He knows as he's speaking that it's the wrong thing to say; knows in
Yukhei's silence that what he's just done is more akin to slamming a lid
down upon a can of worms, choosing to blissfully ignore the problem
rather than face and resolve it.

Because… it's there.

In Yukhei's every adoring smile, overreaction to accidental brushes of

hands, in his amazing tendency to disappear whenever Mark and Jeno had
been together, and, yes, in the way he so fiercely refuses, subconsciously,
to let go of Mark in his sleep, it's there:

The undeniable implication that it all means something.

But frankly, Mark is not ready to deal with the potential repercussions of
giving attention to such a thought, and he doesn't believe Yukhei is, either.

So just this once he'll say something as deliberately cruel as this, shutting
down Yukhei and his feelings, because he doesn't know yet if he wants to
be more than friends with him, and something as serious as this would
rock their foundation too much to ignore if they addressed it.

He's already almost lost his best friend once; he refuses to let it happen
again, even if he does hurt Yukhei in the process.

For his part, Yukhei does nothing to stand up for his feelings. He doesn't
cry in outrage about their existence being denied, about Mark's refusal to
acknowledge them. He understands well enough what Mark is doing, and
so his only comment is a timid, "…It really doesn't bother you?"

"I already said I'm fine with it."

Breakfast is eaten in silence; the charade continues.

>>>

The next time Yukhei spends the night a few weeks later, he very hesitantly
moves to press himself against Mark, while awake. He doesn't say a thing,
but he knows Yukhei is awake because the brunet would never be this
timid if he were already sleeping.

For that reason Mark inadvertently tenses, causing Yukhei to pause in

wrapping his arms around him, drawing in a strangled breath. "I'm sorry…
is this really okay?" he apologizes.
He forces himself to relax, mumbling, "I've said it's fine, didn't I? I won't go
back on it now. But…" he can't resist from asking, "why are you doing
it now?"

It's that much harder to pretend it's meaningless doing it like this, you
know?

Yukhei is quiet for a moment, "…It's fine, isn't it? Either way, it… doesn't
mean anything."

As his heart catches painfully for a moment in his chest, Mark wonders
which is more painful for Yukhei at the moment: the fact that he is being
forced to suppress his feelings and lie, or that he feels them at all in the
first place.

>>>

His third year of high school brings about many changes.

In a flurried tornado of activity, one year later Donghyuck reappears, and

then Jeno. The former is exactly the same as they remember; Jeno is not.
The black-haired is cagey and guarded around them, hiding the emotions
he used to let loose so freely.

The only thing he shows openly is his seemingly boundless anger and
unrest, and Mark has never felt more trapped than when he is pinned down
by the storm in the other's eyes.

Despite it feeling undeniably wrong, the three form a dance team without
their missing fourth member, even Mark agreeing to go along with it in
spite of the fact that he has no love for competition. He won't say that he's
dancing just for Jeno, just in hopes that he might break through to his
former friend; there's more to his decision than that.

They, or rather, Donghyuck, through something like seduction laced with

the younger's particular brand of mischievous black magic, manage to
acquire a fourth member by the name of Na Jaemin.

Jaemin is weird.

Coming from Mark, this is saying something.

He holds unbelievable amounts of eccentricity behind a thin layer of cool

stoicism. He's a perfectionist to the highest degree, he
overthinks everything, and he is rather obsessed with beauty. And the
beauty is question is… subjective at best.

He balks at Donghyuck's, admittedly ridiculous, spins and then proceeds to

try on a freaking pirouette with no shame whatsoever.

Mark personally doesn't care what kind of style the other boy prefers but
he has to put his foot down on the butterfly costume if only because the
wings would slow him down in his moves, and that is unacceptable.

Jaemin can't dance for reasons unfathomable to the others (and they had
tried their hardest to uncover the mystery to be sure), but as if by some
miracle of God he is able to dance their number, and do it well.

To be honest, he initially dislikes the other boy. The main problem is

simply that Jaemin looks down on their passion for dancing, looks at it like
a problem to be solved rather than the salvation Mark sees it as. Their
viewpoints are simply too different not to clash.

There is also a small, niggling part of his mind decrying the bespectacled
boy for slipping into that coveted fourth spot on their swim team when by
all rights it belongs to someone else already. As illogical as it is, he can't
stop himself from being unhappy that Jeno is being replaced.

However, Jaemin's sheer grit and determination manages to break through

the ice and reach even Mark's heart, and it isn't long before he's found a
place among the other boys.

Rather than take Jeno's place, the blond-haired boy fills his own unique
spot among the circle of friends.

Jaemin spends the night all of one time, the night after the Neo Culture
Dance Club finishes their attempt at the national championship. They don't
make it, with only Donghyuck’s free-style winning over his competitor, but
the fact that they finished at second in still their second year is still
amazing.

It is in between the night the team spends together and the end of the
tournament, Jeno catches up to Mark for a private moment.

The two have a much-needed talk. Jeno has some issues that Mark just
can't fix, but that's because only Jeno himself can resolve those problems,
and this is something that he seems to finally realize. They reconcile, at
least a little, promising to become "friendly rivals" once more and part on
much better terms.
He notes as the black haired boy walks away that the storm in his eyes
seems to have calmed, as has the fire that tends to spark up whenever the
two interact.

Occasionally after this, when they all are together on non-team excursions,
they invite Jeno. Occasionally, he accepts.

More than anything, he hopes to be friends with Jeno again, but he also
realizes with some surprise that that is also all he wants: to be friends.

The desire to touch, to kiss, is gone —replaced with somewhat hazy images
of Yukhei pressing tightly against his back.

But, back to that night —it's a team affair.

They had all promised, including the girls, to gather at Mark's place the day
prior, win or lose. The loss doesn't get them down at all, and his house is
livelier than he's ever seen it as they party and rejoice for simply making it
as far as they had.

Donghyuck in specific is given a toast —with water bottles as opposed to

alcohol — for being the only one to best his opponent, and, oddly enough,
a flower crown. He has no idea where Jaemin found the thing, and it's not
the most comfortable atop his head, but he's in a good enough mood to
humor them all and wears it for the rest of the night.

Knowing well that Mark has no videogames, Yukhei and Donghyuck both
bring over boardgames, and movies as well.

No one sleeps until well after three in the morning. As they finally wear
down, their advisor announces she's leaving, being far too old to
participate in a sleepover with four teenage boys.

Donghyuck jokingly suggests she has someone at home she'd rather be

spending time with, despite it being common knowledge that she is still
single. For once, she lets him get away with it, even joking that yes, her
pussy needs attending to.

No one is brave enough to ask her if it was an innuendo, and there is

silence for many minutes after she is gone. Yeri is thoroughly disgusted
with them, but laughs anyway.

As there is not enough space for them all to sleep in Mark's room, they stay
in the living room, all resting on sleeping bags. Though initially they are
laid out with space between them, Mark's is soon squished as Yukhei and
Donghyuck shove theirs right up against it on both sides.
They lie down and Donghyuck goes straight for Mark's chest like it is still
the most natural thing in the world after all this time. Yukhei, a little more
aware of the other people in the room, simply lies down upon his own
makeshift bed without reaching for Mark, though they both know he'll
doubtlessly end up doing so once he falls asleep.

Much like Jeno had done years ago, Jaemin stares down at the arrangement
dubiously. He goes to his sleeping bag a few feet apart, and lies facing
away from them. Donghyuck implores the boy to join them, and a muffled
"It's not beautiful" is the rebuttal.

In response, Donghyuck scoffs and stands before bodily dragging Jaemin

and his sleeping bag over to join them anyway, ignoring his shouts of
protests.

This wakes Yeri up just enough for her to glare them all into submission,
no one making a sound until she's softly snoring again.

Jaemin finally caves and sleeps with his bag pressed against Donghyuck's.
He is still the only one to actually sleep in said bag instead of on top of it,
though.

Jaemin sleeps very stiffly on his back, with his arms crossed over his
abdomen and his legs unmoving. He almost looks dead. When Donghyuck
pokes him to find out if this is the case, his head lolls to the side and he
starts drooling, much to the boy's amusement.

Mark is the last to fall asleep. He doesn't know why; with Donghyuck's nose
pressed into his chest and Yukhei's… presence behind him, he's perfectly
comfortable.

And yet —sleep escapes him until he feels arms encircling his waist and
warmth against his back. It's only after Yukhei has fallen asleep and
unconsciously embraced him that he, too, finds his eyes closing.

He comes to the disconcerting realization that, while not uncomfortable

before, he is more contented with the brunet's arms wrapped around him.

He wakes with this somewhat disturbing knowledge and, not sure what to
do with it, shoves it to the back of his mind for now. He notes absently that
sometime during the night Donghyuck had rolled over and chosen to
snuggle up to Jaemin instead.

They make a cute scene, with Donghyuck's head upon the other's chest and
one of Jaemin's arms having snaked out of the bag to curl against the
smaller boy's waist.
Yeri takes a picture of the two the moment she wakes up. For blackmail
purposes, or because she thinks it's cute, he doesn't know.

He does feel a sense of relief at having woken before her, though, feeling
with absolute certainty that had he not she would have another picture on
her phone to match the one she had just taken.

>>>

After that, a lot happens. Memories of all kinds are made, he supposes.
Though high school is supposed to be the best time of his life, it all sort of
passes in a blur for him.

He doesn't really remember any specifics. Second year is gone in the blink
of an eye and in third year he chooses a relatively decent college and
swims.

Around him, his friends change. Jeno opens back up and is almost the
person he used to be again; Jaemin admits that he is gay (as if no one saw
it coming); despite major efforts by everyone on the team, Donghyuck
somehow becomes an even more mischievous person than he was and
begins to torment the entire school with pranks as opposed to just his
friends; finally, Yeri starts dating that one guy from their rival dance team
(the whole team plus Jeno had been sure to corner him one day and make
it quite clear what would happen should he ever hurt her; his pale,
slackened face had been utterly worth the chewing out Yeri gave them
later).

Only he and Yukhei don't change. He knows on some level that this is his
fault, as Yukhei's own development is tied intrinsically with his, and as long
as he chooses to remain oblivious things will stay the same between them.

He does recall that at some point during third year, Yukhei received a
confession from a girl in their class. He'd probably remember it better had
the brunet accepted, but of course, he hadn't.

When Mark had asked about it later, Yukhei had said that he'd turned the
girl down because he already loved someone else.

The conversation ended there, as he already knew to whom Yukhei had

been referring.

Because of his stubborn refusal to acknowledge his own feelings, he is still

unsure of how to handle the situation between them, and thus, nothing
changes.
But even he realizes that this can't go on forever, and that one way or
another, if he wants anything to happen he'll have to do it himself.

>>>

After they graduate —passing the mantle of Captain down to Donghyuck

after much deliberation; they'd seriously contemplated just calling Yeri the
new captain, but unfortunately she could not technically hold the title as a
mere manager— him and Yukhei go to the same college. With a little luck,
and a lot of wheedling, they manage to become roommates.

He doesn't pursue dancing, and neither does Yukhei. He contents himself

with the thought someday doing something music-related on the side, for
now he wants to focus on his other passion other than performing, writing.

If high school is the so-called best time of one's life, then college is the
time of change. Out on their own, people have to find a way to live and get
by without the support of parents and friends from high school.

For Mark, the reverse is true: he's been living alone for years and now
suddenly he's living with Yukhei. It feels like an extended sleepover, except
they have beds on opposite sides of the room.

The first night they spend together, they both lie awake for hours, both
unable to sleep and knowing why but hesitant to cross the bridge.

Finally, just as Mark is falling into an unhappy sleep—

"Mark?"

He shifts on his side to gaze at his friend in the dark. "Yeah?"

Yukhei avoids his eyes as he mumbles, "I can't sleep."

"Yeah." The word contains two meanings: “yeah, I can't either, and yeah,
it's alright to sleep like always”.

The brunet reads it in his voice and wordlessly, they both stand up to
shove their beds together as quietly as possible in the center of the room.
They'll rearrange in the morning.

For now, they both get into their bigger makeshift bed, Yukhei wrapping
himself around Mark as usual.
He doesn't say it, but he feels instantly better.

"Sorry," the brunet murmurs.

"It's fine," he says, repeating a conversation held every night the two share
together.

He wonders if Yukhei will continue to apologize like this every time when
they're most likely going to be sleeping together for the unforeseen future.

The bigger boy —man, now, is probably more accurate— is dozing within
minutes, happy and peaceful with Mark in his arms.

Mark, meanwhile, finds his mind to be working itself too much, too fast, to
let sleep take him. He is comfortable as always, but he also feels that it is,
inexplicably, warmer than usual.

The heat between Yukhei's chest and his back is intense; the heat of
Yukhei's fingers when he unconsciously slips them under Mark's shirt to
press his hands against bare skin even more so.

He is reminded of the blazing fire he felt that night with Jeno. The
comparison makes a blush spring to his cheeks.

For the first time, Mark lets himself think about his feelings, and not just
Yukhei's.

He allows himself to acknowledge that their relationship, even without the

sleeping preferences thrown in, is hardly normal.

Yukhei always came to fetch him for school, and this often involved getting
him out of the bathtub. Mark always cooked breakfast after this and the
brunet would eat some, despite having had something at home. The two of
them always shared a two-person popsicle, rather than simply buying their
own, and they often shared a single set of headphones to listen to music
to, despite Mark knowing for a fact that their music taste was not exactly
compatible.

All of this spoke volumes about Yukhei's feelings for Mark… but also said
much the same about the other way around. After all, Mark not only
permitted this all, but, thinking about not having any of it now makes him
rather uneasy.

The thought of Yukhei eating a popsicle by himself or, god forbid, with
someone else, sets Mark extremely and irrationally on edge.
And yes, going back to the current predicament, the fact that Mark is not
only "alright" with sleeping with Yukhei in such a manner but also
actually more comfortable doing so is quite telling.

And with the long-overdue acknowledgement of the feelings he'd been

suppressing also comes the realization that they've existed for quite some
time —he remembers suddenly thinking of Yukhei when he'd had his first
kiss with Jeno.

Probably, he's cared for Yukhei almost as long as the brunet has cared for
him, but he'd been too stubborn to let himself admit it until now. The guilt
at the needless heartache he's surely caused his best friend for years
comes crashing down upon him and he resolves to fix the issue, soon.

College is the time of change, after all. It's time they moved forward; they'd
been stagnant more than long enough.

>>>

And so, the following night, when Yukhei goes to hug him, an apology
already on his lips.

He rolls over, holding himself on top of the other boy with his arms on
both sides of his face. Yukhei stares up at him in shock, a blush already
forming on his face, and lets out a startled, "Mark?"

"Yukhei." His gaze must be quite intense, because for once the other boy
can't seem to avert his eyes.

"Y-yes?"

"You haven't had your first kiss, right?" It's more a statement than a
question, as he knows the answer already. The brunet has always been by
his side, always devoted to him. Even if he found time away from Mark to
form such an intimacy with someone else, he wouldn't want to.

Yukhei blushes harder, face redder than he's ever seen it, and stumbles
out, "N-no, I haven't…"

Just as he thought. Now for the hard part.

"S-someone once told me that… that your first kiss is one of the most
terrifying experiences of your life." He hates that he stutters, but he can't
help the sudden nervousness. It's been so long since his relationship with
Yukhei has changed that he's admittedly scared of doing this, despite
wanting it.
"…Yes…?" Meanwhile, the brunet has finally managed to tear his eyes off of
Mark's, and is steadily looking anywhere but at him. The blush has
expanded to his ears and neck.

"…So to make it less scary, you should kiss someone you're comfortable
with, understand?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose that makes sense…"

It's quite clear that Yukhei has no idea why he's being told such things, so
used to his feelings being ignored by Mark that he doesn't understand a
reality where they are finally being acknowledged.

Mark frowns at this. The brunet is proving to be more difficult than he'd
anticipated. However, he can't be too upset at him, as he has only himself
to blame for doing this to his friend in the first place.

He takes a deep breath, and simply says, "And so," before leaning down
with that as his only preamble and pressing gently against the other boy's
lips.

The kiss lasts only a brief moment, and it's entirely one-sided as Yukhei is
too shocked to move. In fact, Mark is quite certain that for that small
period the other teen's heart stopped beating altogether.

It will have to be enough, though, as Mark has done all he can —or rather,
all he is willing to do. He has gotten his feelings across, as far as he is
concerned, and he refuses to do anything else until Yukhei comes to a
decision and makes a move.

He rolls off and back onto his side, closing the issue with a mumbled
goodnight. Yukhei finally starts breathing again a moment later, and
tentatively wraps his arms around him. Mark knows that he doesn't sleep
for quite some time, though, as his shaking hands keep him up as well for
at least an hour.

When they wake in the morning, Mark acts normally, and Yukhei takes his
cue and pretends nothing has changed. This continues through the day
until it seems like things really are going to stay the same, despite Mark's
best efforts to the contrary.

But this is not the case once night falls. Mark gets into bed like always, and
Yukhei… Yukhei hovers over the bed nervously, not getting in yet. He
finally does after a few minutes of staring at it in trepidation, and proceeds
to lie on his back stiffly and awkwardly, facing the ceiling.
As he had already resolved to let Yukhei make the next move, Mark allows
this, simply watching to see what the brunet will do.

After ten minutes of grinding his teeth, Yukhei finally snaps. Much like
Mark had done the night before, he rolls over and places his arms on both
sides of Mark's head, effectively trapping him.

The role reversal allows him to feel what the brunet might have felt last
night, and seeing the larger boy hovering above him he struggles to
contain a blush.

"Mark!" Yukhei whispers urgently.

Their eyes lock, and he fights to remain calm. "Yeah?"

His eyes glitter in determination. "Last night, you said that your first kiss
should be with someone you're comfortable with, yes?"

"Right…"

"Then, that means that your second kiss should naturally be with someone
you like, right?"

He pauses a moment, understanding where this is heading, and murmurs,

"Yes."

"If that's the case, then…" Yukhei falters, loses some resolve, but recovers,
"…then, I would still want to kiss you. But…" he murmurs, as his
confidence drains completely, "…is that really okay?"

Mark looks up at his despairing friend and can't help but think in horror —I
did this.

Yukhei has always been something of a timid person, but never

around Mark. Mark is supposed to be the one person he is more
comfortable with than anyone, the person whom he can be open and
honest with and whom he can trust and rely on.

But he had stomped on Yukhei's feelings one too many times and created a
wall between them in the process. A wall that suddenly rears its ugly head,
and it's so frighteningly tall that he wonders how long it will take to scale
or break it.

No matter how long it takes, though, he'll do it. Yukhei is worth the effort.
And he starts with this:
"Yukhei."

The brunet looks at him through eyes expecting heartbreak and rejection.
"Yes?"

"Last night…" he pauses, works up the courage to say it, "…last night was
my second kiss."

It's not enough to break the wall, not completely, but he knows by the
wonder in Yukhei's face that it leaves one hell of a dent. He can see the
gears turning in the other's head as he processes the words. He sees in
Yukhei's widening eyes the burgeoning realization, does that mean
he…? He sees the brief flicker of, wait, who was his first kiss?

And finally, he reads the euphoric, it doesn't matter, he likes me! And then
Yukhei is crashing down and he is surging up and their noses actually
smack together painfully but it doesn't even matter because the only thing
important right now is Yukhei's lips pressing firmly against his own.

It's nothing like the two gentle kisses he's had before; in this kiss there is
passion and force, closed mouths moving against each other with such
strength he knows that by the end they'll both possess matching pairs of
swollen, bruised lips.

It's also, admittedly, a little awkward, as neither of them have any

experience in the matter and don't really know what they're doing, and
they're struggling to find the same rhythm. What the kiss lacks in finesse,
though, it certainly makes up for in desire and want.

He doubts either of them has ever wanted something as much as in this

moment.

Mark places one hand in Yukhei's hair, and the other on his neck to drag
the other boy closer still. In response, after a brief moment of hesitation,
Yukhei nips at his bottom lip, causing him to gasp and allowing the brunet
to slip his tongue inside his mouth.

The kiss actually slows down after that, with the fierce intensity giving way
to careful exploration. The boys lower themselves back onto the bed, and
Mark sighs into the other's mouth as his head hits the pillow. His eyes
flutter shut as Yukhei slowly learns his way around the inside of his mouth,
running his tongue over the other teen's teeth and battling playfully with
Mark's tongue when the two touch.

The two finally break apart to breathe —bless dancers' lungs, he thinks
hazily, enjoying the pleasant tingling throughout his body— and Yukhei, no
longer able to support himself on shaking arms, rolls to lie beside him on
the bed.

The two stare up at the ceiling in silence as they struggle to regain their
lost breath. Mark's heart is pounding loudly, sounding like it's attempting
to escape out of his chest, but so is Yukhei's. His lips feel like they're on
fire, but it's not a bad sensation at all. In fact, he rather likes it.

Eventually, the brunet breaks the silence with a tentative, "…Minhyung?"

The way his Korean name rolls off of Yukhei's lips, full of love and
wonder… isn't bad at all. It's not unpleasant. So, he rolls onto his side to
face his friend —boyfriend now, perhaps?— and responds with a curt,
"Yes."

Yes, I heard you, and yes, you can call me that.

Yukhei, of course, hears both meanings and smiles. Even though Mark is
fairly certain the other already knows, Yukhei asks to be sure:

"From now on… if I want to—" he pauses, a blush rising once more on his
cheeks, but does not stop, "—to hug you, or… hold your hand, or
even kiss you… that's okay?"

Mark awards him a small smile. "It's fine if you want to do more than that."

Predictably, Yukhei's face goes scarlet, and he lets out a scandalized,

"Minhyung!" Despite his embarrassment, he still clearly understands, and
reaches over with growing confidence to initiate another kiss.

As he eagerly meets the other halfway, Mark contemplates the wall. It's not
really broken, not yet, not so easily; probably it will take months,
maybe years to completely repair the damage he's done to Yukhei and
their relationship.

But at the very least there's a nice hole in it now for them to communicate
through.

For the first time since he was a child, he feels absolutely at peace, as if he
has not a single problem in the world. He can see in Yukhei's eyes that he
feels the same.

For the first time since they were young, the two sleep facing each other,
arms and legs tangled, foreheads touching. Breath intermingling.

He's pleasantly warm. It's quite comfortable.