Donghyuck hopped off the bus with a spring in his step, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. The sun was warm, the air tasted like freedom, and the last day of high school stretched ahead like a promise. Today was Mark’s graduation day—their big day.

He already knew where Mark would be. He always waited by the gates for him, leaning on the railing with that lazy smile that made Hyuck’s stomach turn into confetti. Three years of being together, and they still couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Sure, they had their fights, but they always found their way back to tangled arms and whispered apologies.

There was just one cloud in the sky—Mark’s father. The man had never warmed up to the idea of his son dating another boy. But Mark had never cared. Neither of them had. They’d made a quiet, stubborn pact: their love was worth the fight. And Hyuck… Hyuck believed him. Believed in them.

He spotted him through the crowd, and his chest swelled—until it cracked.

Mark was standing by the gate, sunlight hitting him like a spotlight, head tilted toward a girl. She was laughing at something he’d said, and before Hyuck could blink, Mark leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

The girl’s smile widened. Mark’s did too—small, shy, the kind he usually saved for Hyuck.

Hyuck’s feet froze, but his eyes didn’t. They locked on Mark.

And then—Mark looked up.

For the briefest moment, their eyes met.

Hyuck waited for it—for Mark to step forward, to break away from the girl, to rush to him like always. But Mark didn’t move. He just held Hyuck’s gaze, something unreadable flickering in his expression… and then he turned back to the girl.

The world around him blurred. The laughter and chatter of his classmates faded into a low, muffled hum, like his head was underwater.

“He really was what I expected…” The words slipped out under his breath, bitter and shaky.

He pressed his back to the nearest wall, his legs suddenly weak, and slid down until he was sitting on the cold pavement. His hands came up to his face as if they could shield him from what he’d seen. But they couldn’t stop the tears—they came hot and fast, spilling through his fingers, staining the last day of high school with something far heavier than goodbye.

He told himself it was just a kiss on the cheek. That it meant nothing. That Mark would never…
But he was seventeen. And in seventeen-year-old love, there was no such thing as meaning nothing.

(Present)

Mark crouched down in front of him, his shadow spilling over Hyuck like a shield against the world.
“Hyuck… why are you crying?” His voice was low, worried, the kind of tone that always made Hyuck’s chest ache. Mark reached for his hand, but Hyuck’s fingers stayed balled into trembling fists against his knees.

Hyuck’s breath came uneven, sharp in his throat. “Why are we even acting like this? We aren’t even together, and yo—”

The rest of his sentence dissolved into the warmth of Mark’s lips pressing against his own. Hyuck froze. For a heartbeat, his body was stone, but his heart—God, his heart—ignited like it was 17 again, like the years apart had been nothing but a bad dream. His eyes slid shut, his fists loosening until they found their way to Mark’s shirt, clutching him like an anchor.

When they pulled apart, the world felt thinner, quieter—just the two of them, breathing the same air. Mark’s gaze was steady, like he’d been holding this look in for years, saving it for exactly now.

“Please don’t cry over these things…” Mark’s thumb brushed away a tear, lingering longer than necessary. “I was going to officially ask you to be my boyfriend at the end of the trip. You know… like how we told my father about us back then, at this time too. I wanted it to be perfect. But—” his voice softened, breaking just slightly— “if it’s hurting you to wait, then…”

He inhaled, biting his lip in that familiar nervous way.
“Lee Donghyuck… will you be my boyfriend… again?”

The question hung in the air, trembling like a fragile thread between them. Hyuck’s chest felt too small for his racing heart. All those nights spent missing him, all those mornings wondering if they could ever find their way back—it all crashed into this single moment.

He let out a shaky laugh, half a sob. “Stupid question. I just wanted you to say I’m yours, not… ask something you already know the answer to.” His lips curved into the smallest, rawest smile. “But yes. Of course I will.”

Mark’s exhale was almost a laugh, almost a prayer. He pulled Hyuck in before he could say anything else, and the kiss that followed wasn’t hurried—it was slow, reverent, tasting of salt and relief, like they were relearning each other one soft press at a time.

When they finally broke apart, foreheads still touching, Mark murmured, “I love you.”

Hyuck’s hands cupped his face, thumbs stroking his jaw as if he needed the reassurance of skin and bone. “I love you too… please, don’t leave me again.”

Mark’s eyes softened into something fierce. “I promise.”

A tiny, almost bitter chuckle escaped Hyuck. “Didn’t you say once that promises aren’t kept?”

Mark’s gaze didn’t waver. “The last time I said that, my father forced me to walk away from you. I’m not letting anything—anyone—make me do that again.”

Hyuck searched his face for even the smallest crack, the faintest sign that this was just another sweet lie. But all he saw was certainty. The same certainty he’d been waiting years to see again.

~°☆▪︎5 years later▪︎☆°~

Jaemin stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, wearing the kind of look reserved for tax collectors and door-to-door salesmen.
Jaemin: “You can’t expect me to raise all of your kids!!!”
Hyuck: grinning “It’s only for three days, stupid.”

From the couch, Jeno was already smirking like this was his favorite soap opera.
Jeno: “C’mon, baby, you said you wanted more kids—what’s taking care of three new ones?”
Mark: “Exactly. Listen to your husband.”

Hyuck pressed a hand to his chest in fake offense.
Hyuck: “Please, Jaemin, I would do the same for you anytime.”
Jaemin: “Yeah? Well, fuck you and your persuasive mind.”
Hyuck: “You love me.”
Mark: “I love you.”
Hyuck shot him a sidelong look, lips twitching.
Hyuck: “I wasn’t talking to you… but I love you too.”

Jeno: deadpan “Cute. Disgusting, but cute.”

Hyuck spun toward the hallway.
Hyuck: “Lily!! Chungha!! Xion!! Get your asses in here!!”

Jaemin: “Lily can’t walk, stupid.”

From somewhere in the house, a voice piped up.
Xion: “Don’t worry, I got ’em!”
He appeared a moment later, carrying the toddler like a sack of potatoes, grinning proudly.

Mark ruffled Xion’s hair as he passed.
Mark: “We’re lucky to have such an amazing son… Chungha, on the other hand, is crazy.”

Chungha: yelling from the other room “I HEARD THAT!”
Mark: “Sorry, honey.”

She strolled in with a smirk.
Chungha: “Can you give me fifty dollars?”
Mark: already shaking his head “No. You’re spending these three days with Jaemin and Jeno.”

Without missing a beat, Chungha pivoted to Jeno, flashing her brightest grin.
Chungha: “Uncle Jeno!!!”

Jeno knelt to her level.
Jeno: “How are you, little one?”
Chungha: “I’m not little. I’m fourteen years old.”
Jeno: “You’re still smaller than Xion.”
Chungha: “But I’m older.”

Jaemin clapped his hands once, herding them toward the door.
Jaemin: “Alright, let’s go. We’ve got ice cream, and Jongin’s making pancakes.”

Xion: eyes lighting up “PANCAKES!”

Mark met Jaemin’s gaze, a small, genuine smile replacing the earlier chaos.
Mark: “Thanks, guys. We owe you.”
Jeno: “Yeah, you do.”
Jaemin: “Big time.”

Mark dug into his wallet and pressed a folded bill into Jeno’s hand.
Mark: “If they ask for anything, don’t buy it with your own money. Or they’ll get spoiled.”
Jeno: “It’s fine, man, you don’t nee—”
Hyuck: snatching Jeno’s wrist “Just take it, dimwit.”
Jeno: “Okay, okay, jeez.”

Hyuck leaned into Mark’s side as the kids clattered out the door, the sound of bickering and laughter fading into the street. Mark’s arm slid around his waist without thinking.
Mark: “Three days of peace.”
Hyuck: smirking up at him “Three days to miss them like crazy.”