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Mark always waits for Donghyuck outside the younger’s class - it’s something that everybody in that little town knows, a simple action that comes naturally to them. Like a silent deal between the two boys to go home together, every single day.
Donghyuck is still one more course at high school, but Mark is getting ready to graduate this year; he wants to study in a great Music college, already considering moving to a big city. The younger, on the contrary, is unsure about what he wants to do with his future - he only enjoys drawing, makeup and fashion, and he's doing excellent on social media for just a 16 years old, his friends and classmates calling him 'the small-town influencer'.
The older is about to say hi when he sees his best friend among the rest of students but his friend quickly grabs his wrist to guide him to the bathroom.
“The fucking pen has exploded in my shirt in the middle of geography” the tanned boy whispers, separating a couple of inches the books so his friend can see the blue stain in his white piece of clothing. “I need to clean this shit or my mum will kill me” he whimpers dramatically.
The older can’t help but chuckle, gaining a malicious stare from the shorter guy next to him, who speeds his steps arriving at the desired place. They enter the (luckily) empty bathroom, and the younger sighs loudly, placing his things next to the sink and looking worried at his shirt. “Ok so how do we do this?”
Mark looks around the place, thinking about a quick method to clean and dry that before teachers inspect the rooms to verify that anyone is inside the high school. Suddenly, his shiny eyes spark even more. “I have an idea!” and then, proceeds to come closer to the other boy until his hands are in the hem of the problematic shirt.
“What are you doing!?” Donghyuck almost screams, not expecting his friend to take it off - neither has he resisted to him.
“It’s going to be better if we wash it alone” he says calmly, throwing the shirt into the sink and opening the tap. Whilst they wait, he’s on the point of lending his hoodie to Donghyuck when the younger stops him.
“I’m ok” he explains in a rather shy voice. He hates when he has this change of moods, too often lately.
“You’ll catch a cold, stupid” Mark’s voice is also gentle, but more decided.
“I said I’m ok” he repeats, blushing unconsciously noticing his best friend glimpsing at his half naked body. It’s not the first time Mark sees him like that and vice versa, they know each other since they were kids, but lately… everything feels different.
Everything is just more intense than before.
At least for Donghyuck. He doesn't comprehend his own weird emotions but he has realized that–
“If you say so” the taller boy cuts his friend's train of thoughts, smiling once again. He closes the tap and grabs the soap.
Donghyuck sits there on the counter, gazing at the older washing his shirt without complaining. He knows that Mark is talking, but he’s not listening. Not that he doesn’t care, his mind is just a bit overwhelmed at this moment.
So he has to ask out loud or he will explode just like his blue pen previously did.
“Why are you always so good?”
Mark frowns without understanding, not looking at him, focused on his current task. “What do you mean?”
“You…” he gulps, nervous for some reason. “… are always helping me" and he slaps him mentally. 'Asshole!' his brain exclaims.
Finally, the black haired fixes his eyes on the brunet boy, letting the water falls for the second time. "Shouldn't I?"
"No. Yeah. I mean… it's cool" a short silence stays with them for a few seconds, Mark raising his brows slightly knowing that there's more words waiting to be spoken. Indeed, Donghyuck clears his throat and smiles awkwardly. "You are my best friend!"
Mark snorts a burst of laughter, water faucet quiet for the last time and he wrings out the piece of clothing before moving next to Donghyuck, where the hand dryer is. "And you are mine!"
The noisy dryer will surely betray their secret placement, yet luckily for them it works perfectly and Donghyuck's shirt is ready to be worn as if nothing has happened.
Mark turns to the boy who expectantly stares at every movement he does, and puts it down his brunet head. "Thank me later."
The younger smirks, finally as mischievous as he normally is. He's tired of making everything awkward in the past few weeks. There's no sense to act like that when it comes to Mark. "What if I want to thank you now?"
The older lays his hands on the counter, surrounding the other's body so they are face to face. "And what are you thinking about, clumsy boy?" he asks, curious.
Deep down, he's trying to tease Donghyuck, like all the other times they have talked in the last few weeks. It's not only a feeling inside Donghyuck, making him insecure about this precious friendship, making it seen as something more; it's also something that Mark senses, but he feels fine treating Donghyuck in this slightly different way. He likes to tease him, he likes to share furtive glances with him and he likes to be the reason why his best friend smiles every day.
But again, he doesn't understand those feelings either. Or he doesn't want to.
Some of their common friends have made jokes about the two as if they were actually flirting without even noticing it.
Their eye contact exists for the longest time, making it comfortable, both teens talking without verbal words. Not knowing what the other is thinking, but knowing what they are feeling.
In a quick move, Donghyuck decides to plant a peck in the right cheek of the boy in front of him, and then tries to escape from his current position - but it's not that easy, the older comes even closer.
"What was that for?" Mark asks, surprised by the mix of shyness and naughtiness in his friend's face as if he had done something dangerous.
"Just because, what else?" Donghyuck shrugs.
The older's lips draw a big smile and repeat the action in the other's cheek too, kissing his warm skin. "Ok then."
Donghyuck chuckles, looking at him in disbelieve. Again, it's obviously not the first time they share this kind of affection, it's normal for them to be physical when they get to express happiness. Not only within themselves but with their other friends.
But yes, it feels different, different, different. Especially since they don't kiss in private, it's always something they do when they meet or have to say bye to their friend group. Even if it's still innocent and pure, there are notorious conditions behind it.
"Fair enough" the tanned boy whispers, not moving when he sees Mark's face so close that his eyes can barely focus on him, so he lowers his sight and oh. Mark does the same.
They stare at each other's lips.
Although it's not the first time they think about kissing for real, they've never ever talked about it together. Everything was an ideal fantasy on its own. Maybe they don't need to talk at all.
Mark keeps moving slowly, a smile not a second faded from his face. When their eyes are closed and their breaths dance together in the air, he knows that he is going to be accepted. Another silent agreement between the two boys, this time in the most intimate way they have ever purposed. They are not thinking, if you may ask them; Donghyuck is trusting Mark, and the older is doing exactly the same with the younger.
In a split of a second, two inexperienced pair of lips are kissing each other. Well, actually they simply maintain that strange touch in place - unfamiliar, scary, fascinating - until Mark tries to copy what he has seen in the movies. He detaches his mouth to take new air, not allowing Donghyuck to overthink what they are doing and soon he is caressing the younger's plump lips, making them wet in slow motion. Their hands remind static, tho, both teens too busy worried about taking the most about that moment with their mouth.
The brunet's heartbeat is in the middle of the most amazing race, a personal competition to gain oxygen among those new emotions produced by so many kisses. He doesn't know how much time they've been there, in the silent bathroom with only the echo of the two of them inside, he just remembers Mark's tongue lazily around his open mouth, Donghyuck about to correspond sucking it, when the door opens with a slam.
Poor boys get interrupted in their first kiss.
"Guys, the school is already closed!" the teacher informs, rather annoyed than furious. But she's quick in noticing the situation there, taking another glance to the black haired position all over the brunet, and this latter impossibly redder. She can't help but laughing kindly, finding the situation embarrassing for the three of them. "Okay, you can continue at home. C'mon, this is an educational centre!"
The two best friends hurry outside the building, holding hands as they do sometimes while walking.
But now it feels different. It is different. They had never kissed before.
With Donghyuck's taste in his lips, Mark talks nonstop, probably too nervous to shut up. And the younger doesn't mind, he really needs to distract himself from reality.
The older leaves the shorter boy at home, safe and sound. They look at each other without knowing what to say, what to do.
"See you tomorrow?" Mark says with an unsure smile, not into this tense environment between the two - if they were kissing a few minutes ago, why are they now acting like strangers?
Donghyuck draws a half smile. "Sure. Talk to you later?"
"Sure."
But what they don't know is that they will not talk again about the bathroom incident; in fact, every time they would try to talk about it, they will end up making out again, repeating it a couple of times more during the next months until summer arrives.
And Mark leaves to study in the capital.
And Donghyuck stays in the town.
And everything changes while reminding the same.