"I can't believe winter break starts tomorrow," Mark spoke. It was Friday evening and he and Donghyuck were seated across from each other at a booth at Granite Run diner. Every table around theirs was taken up by another couple from school, spending their final day of school with their soulmate. 

"Thank god," Donghyuck responded. "I needed a ing break." He dunked his chicken tender in ranch before taking a large bite. 

"I dunno..."  

"We get it, Mark, you're a big nerd that loves school," Donghyuck teased. 

"It's not that. It's just....when will I see you?" Mark asked in a soft voice.

Donghyuck couldn't help but smile back at him. "We'll hang out all the time, when we're not with our families for Christmas and stuff. It'll be better, actually, we'll have more time together." 

"That's true," Mark responded with a soft sigh. "It's just...my family's kinda..." 

"Are you not out to them?" Donghyuck asked. Mark shook his head. 

"I am. They know. We just....don't talk about it," Mark responded. 

"We don't have to hang out at your house then. We can go on dates outside and at my house. They know I'm your friend; you don't have to tell them anything more. I don't mind," Donghyuck sincerely responded, munching on more of his food. 

"That's....that's really nice to know. Huh, maybe winter break will be fun," Mark spoke, stealing one of Donghyuck's fries. 

"Of course it will be." Donghyuck noticed Mark steal a fry and glared. Mark giggled guiltily as he stole another fry, dipping it in the ketchup. Just then, the waittress came and took their plates. 

"Would you like the check?" She asked Mark, and Mark turned to face her. 

"Yes please," he politely responded and turned back to Donghyuck. But when he faced his boyfriend again, Donghyuck was now the one smiling guilty, and Mark's water had flecks of red in it. 

"What did you do to my water?" Mark asked. 

"Nothing! Go ahead, drink it and see," Donghyuck responded, and Mark noticed the bottle of ketchup in his hand.

"You ," Mark whined, pulling out his phone to text Taeil to pick him up. When he looked up, Donghyuck was still giggling like an idiot. Mark just shook his head, reaching to take a sip of his untainted soda. 

Except when he tasted his coke, he got the unmistakeable flavor of ketchup mixed in. 

"Donghyuck," Mark groaned with serious annoyance. "I love you, but can you not?" 

Donghyuck immediately realized what Mark had just said. He blinked rapidly at his words, leaning back in his seat as his eyes widened. He seemed beyond surprised, but it wasn't until a few moments later that Mark realized what he said. 

"Oh-um....I, um..." he stuttered uncomfortably, blushing to the point of being red. Yes, he meant it, but he wasn't sure if he was ready to say those three words, especially not like this. 

"Oh my god, you love me?" Donghyuck asked, a smile blooming on his face. 

"I-ehrm....uh...I meant, don't put ketchup in peoples drinks! I-It's rude!" Mark stammered, eyes glued to the table. 

"But you do?" Donghyuck asked like he already knew the answer, tilting his head and wearing a small smile. 

Mark bit his lip and looked at the table. "Yeah..." he said shyly, smiling. 

"Say it again," Donghyuck spoke. 

"Why? It's embarrassing," Mark whined. 

"Come on," Donghyuck whined back. 

"Fine...I love you Donghyuck," Mark said quietly, finally looking up at Donghyuck. Donghyuck smiled wide and so sincere, cupping his cheek and looking him in the eyes. 

"I love you too, Mark," Donghyuck responded, just as the waittress came back with their check. Donghyuck grabbed it and paid immediately, not even giving Mark a chance. Mark sighed but accepted. 

"How long have you known?" Mark asked in a quiet voice. 

"Known what?" 

"That....that you love me." 

"Oh, a while now," Donghyuck replied. "I just wanted you to say it first." 

"You know I'm shy about that kind of thing," Mark responded. 

"That's why I wanted you to say it first. Because if you said it first you'd really, really mean it," Donghyuck explained. 

"I...I do mean it," Mark shyly admitted. Donghyuck leaned over and kissed the tip of Mark's nose as he got his card back. 

"You're going to knock over the drinks!" Mark whined, but he hid a big smile and pink cheeks. Donghyuck just smiled back at him and stood up, putting on his coat. 

"Let's wait outside for our rides," He spoke, and Mark followed him out into the parking lot. They sat down on a bench as they waited, Mark resting his head on Donghyuck's shoulder, fingers interlaced in the winter cold. 

"Who is picking you up?" Mark asked. 

"My mom. You?" 

"Taeil," Mark responded before chuckling. "I hope Taeil comes first. I'm not ready to meet your parents yet." 

"They're gonna love you," Donghyuck responded with a smile. Mark smiled back up at him, and Donghyuck tilted his chin up to look him in the eyes, the couple slowly leaning in until they could finally kiss. Mark sighed with relief; this was the first time they'd gotten a chance to kiss that day and Mark definitely needed it. Donghyuck tucked some hair behind Mark's ear, blowing wildly in the wind, and Mark held onto Donghyuck's shoulder. 

Donghyuck pulled away slowly. "I love you," he mumbled against Mark's lips, always one for dramatics. 

Mark giggled shyly. "I love you too," he responded, always afraid of being vulnerable but not when Donghyuck was there, silly and crazy but always adoring and caring and loving. 

Suddenly, the horn of a nearby car blared loudly, startling the soulmate couple. 

"Ooh," Taeil teased, sticking his head of the window. 

"The freshmen are so cute together," Johnny added, sticking his head out of the other window. 

"I'm a sophomore!" Mark whined, pouting and standing up. Donghyuck stood up too, holding Mark's face and kissing him quickly. 

"Bye. I love you," Donghyuck said softly. 

Mark giggled. "I-I love you too," He responded, waving goodbye to his boyfriend. "See you soon!" He shouted from the car. 

"You better!" Donghyuck yelled back, and Mark didn't think he could be happier. 

~~~~~~~~~~

At first, Sicheng wasn't sure how he would feel about inviting Yuta over to his house. His own boyfriend had never been over before, even after they'd said I love you. Sicheng's parents were out for the night, so they wouldn't try to pry into Yuta's life or catch them acting like a couple, so Sicheng figured it would be a good time to have him over. Plus, school had just ended for winter break, so he wouldn't be missing any time where he should've been working. 

But immediately after Sicheng had invited him, he understood the implications. Yuta had agreed but given him a confused look, not understanding the mixed signals Sicheng was sending. And when Yuta had stepped inside his house after school that Friday, Sicheng was terrified he now expected something out of Sicheng. Sicheng was still steadfast in his decision to wait until marriage, but now that Yuta was over, he was afraid it wouldn't be clear to Yuta any more. 

However, things had been going well. After the big tour they'd sat down on the couch in the living room, putting on a disney movie and snuggling under the blankets. Yuta pulled Sicheng closer so Sicheng was leaning on his chest, giving him a kiss on the top of the nose, but that had been it. He didn't try to do anything ual, just hold his hands and leave sweet kisses on his cheeks. 

"You know, I was kinda confused when you invited me over," Yuta said with a laugh, voicing Sicheng's thoughts. 

"I didn't realize what that meant until I said it," Sicheng admitted. "I'm sorry." 

"Don't be sorry," Yuta firmly responded. "I didn't expect anything to happen. I know you're not going to do it until you get married and I totally respect that. It's not an issue." 

Sicheng slowly smiled and leaned back into Yuta. "You're good to me," he mumbled softly, turning up the volume underneath the covers. 

"Nah," Yuta responded with a grin. "Respecting your partner's beliefs is the bare minimum. Plus, I love you; if we never had at all I wouldn't care." 

Sicheng continued to gently smile. "I love you too." 

The TV continued to play on, the setting sun and exhaustion of the school day making the couple sleepier and sleepier. Their eyes blinked shut and then back open, trying to stay awake in case Sicheng's parents came home. 

And they were smart to do that. The faint noise of a door clicking open startled Sicheng almost into a panic, leaping off of Yuta and adjusting the covers so it looked like they weren't underneath them together. Yuta made a confused expression at Sicheng, and Sicheng gestured to the door. 

"Should I hide?" Yuta mouthed. 

"Honey, we're home!" A man that Yuta guessed was Sicheng's father spoke. "Who's bag is this?" Yuta facepalmed; he'd left his backpack in the kitchen up front. 

"I have a friend over!" Sicheng yelled back, looking between Yuta and the door frantically. His parents finally came in and Sicheng took a deep breath, forcing a smile. 

"This is my friend Yuta," Sicheng explained, Yuta wincing slightly at the use of the word 'friend'.

"Nice to meet you sir and ma'am," Yuta nervously said, shaking hands with both of Sicheng's parents. 

"Hm, a polite boy..." Sicheng's dad commented. 

"Nice to meet you too!" Sicheng's mom responded. "Would your friend like to stay for dinner?" Sicheng's mom asked. 

"My parents and I are having a family dinner, but thank you for the offer," Yuta responded, tucking his shaking hands behind his back. Everything Sicheng had said about his parents has made Yuta almost terrified of them, so he was on his absolute best behavior. 

"A polite boy who has family dinners...where did you two meet?" Sicheng's dad asked. 

"Yuta is the TA for my history class," Sicheng lied, and Yuta was surprised how easily the lie came to him. "He's a senior." 

"A hardworking, polite boy who has family dinners...I like this friend of yours!" Sicheng's dad said, slapping Yuta on the back. "You'll have to come over for dinner sometime." 

"He's...he's my favorite friend," Sicheng said softly, looking at Yuta out of the corner of his eye. Yuta gave him the tiniest of smiles back. 

"Sicheng's my favorite friend too," Yuta responded. Sicheng began to blush so he immediately stood up, clearing the water glasses he and Yuta had left on the table earlier. 

"You're a senior, right? Have you started thinking about college?" Sicheng's mother asked. 

"Yeah, I'm going to Morrisville Community College. I want to stay at home to take care of my grandmother," Yuta responded. That was a lie; he was staying at home so he could be close to Sicheng while Sicheng finished up high school next year. But Sicheng's parents didn't have to know that. 

"What a nice boy!" Sicheng's mother cried.

"Most definitely, a nice boy," Sicheng's father added. Sicheng came back from the kitchen and looked at Yuta, and Yuta tried to say 'save me' with his eyes.  

"I think Yuta's parents want him home, right?" Sicheng spoke. 

Yuta looked at his phone, pretending to have gotten a text. "Yes, they do. It was a pleasure to meet both of you, and thank you for your hospitality." 

"The pleasure is all ours," Sicheng's father responded. 

"Come over again soon!" Sicheng's mother added. Yuta put on his shoes and stepped outside, Sicheng following him out to his care. 

"Thank you for saving me," Yuta whispered to Sicheng. 

"No problem," Sicheng whispered back. "But they loved you. They've never liked any of my friends that much." 

"Hey, I'm a charming kid, what can I say," Yuta said, winking greasily. Sicheng rolled his eyes and Yuta chuckled. 

"See you soon," he said, subtely squeezing Sicheng's hand (he didn't want to do anything more in case Sicheng's parents were watching). 

"See ya," Sicheng responded, walking back towards his door. He heard Yuta pull out of the driveway and get on to the road before he heard him stop. 

"Hey!" Yuta shouted, sticking his head out of the car window. Sicheng turned his head. 

"I love you," Yuta mouthed. 

"I love you too," Sicheng mouthed back. They shared a smile, and Sicheng went inside. 

~~~~~~~~~~

"And here's my room," Jaehyun spoke, leading Doyoung into his bedroom. They were finally free from school and clubs and choir, and it was time for them to relax. Jaehyun figured Doyoung should visit his house, seeing as they'd been together quite a while, so after the final student council meeting of the semester they drove over to Jaehyun's. 

Doyoung flopped onto his boyfriend's bed casually, tired from Jaehyun's house tour. He looked around at the room; it was fairly neat (not as neat as Doyoung's) with plain white walls and schoolbooks everywhere. 

"You printed out one of our selfies," Doyoung commented with laughter in his voice. He gestured to the framed photo of Jaehyun and himself on Jaehyun's bedside table, the two of them wearing snapchat filters. 

"I thought that was the cutest one of us," Jaehyun responded, flopping down next to Doyoung. 

"Thank god this semester is over," Doyoung commented. "I'm exhausted." 

"Me too," Jaehyun responded with a sigh of relief. "We'll finally get some time to ourselves." 

"Also, I'm ing freezing," Doyoung added. Jaehyun reached over and jostled a bit under his bed before tossing Doyoung one of his sweatshirts. Doyoung sat up and put it on, smiling at Jaehyun. 

"It looks so cute on you," Jaehyun commented. 

"You know this mine forever now, right?" Doyoung responded with a laugh, laying back down on the bed.

"That's one of my favorites!" Jaehyun whined, playfully pushing Doyoung before pulling him in closer, the couple smiling before pressing their lips together for a gentle kiss. This time though, they were finally alone, without any of the school's prying eyes, and Doyoung wanted more. He held the back of Jaehyun's neck and kept him close, deepening the kiss. Jaehyun didn't mind at all, in fact, he seemed to love it, one of his strong arms wrapping around Doyoung's slim waist.

Doyoung laid himself down on the bed and Jaehyun followed, almost pressing his boyfriend into the sheets and mattress, tongue lapping at Doyoung's lower lip. Doyoung obliged, without question, opening his mouth so he and Jaehyun's tongues could slide together. 

Doyoung hadn't frenched kissed in what felt like forever and god, did it feel good, releasing the tiniest of noises into Jaehyun's open mouth. Clearly that little noise spurred the boy on, getting fully on top of Doyoung now, hands running over Doyoung's thin cotton t-shirt to outline his chest, waist, hips. Doyoung had never realized how good of a kisser Jaehyun was before this moment, pleasure building in his veins as his hands traced the muscles and bones of Jaehyun's back. 

Evidently Jaehyun felt the same way about Doyoung, only letting their lips part for barely a second, just allowing them the air they needed to breath before coming back, as if attached to Doyoung's lips. Things were moving fast but Jaehyun didn't mind, didn't care, wanting skin on skin more than anything. He let his fingers slide underneath Doyoung's t-shirt, hands on his pale, bare skin, fulfulling one want he'd had since the age of thirteen. 

Jaehyun's hands crawled up beneath the shirt to ghost over Doyoung's pert , Doyoung's moans loud and delicious in Jaehyun's mouth as his hands now caressed under Jaehyun's shirt too. Jaehyun wanted more, needed more, needed to mark this perfect boy as his so he pulled away, pressing his lips against Doyoung's neck and harshly enough to taint his perfect skin. Love bites bloomed like flowers on Doyoung's neck and his moans and mewls were louder, and more enticing, and Jaehyun pulled away just to look at his beautiful boy. Doyoung's eyes were hooded, pupils blown, trained on Jaehyun, cheeks pink, lips slick and swollen and parted, hands still clinging to Jaehyun, and Jaehyun couldn't have thought of a prettier sight. 

", Doyoung," Jaehyun mumbled, his face flushed and breaths harsh. 

"I-" Doyoung started, but stopped. He didn't know what to say, right now he could only feel, he wanted, he needed. He could feel Jaehyun's hard-on pressing into his thigh and it felt urgent, like things needed to be answered right away or else the two of them would explode. 

"Do you want to...? A-are you ready?" Jaehyun asked in a soft voice. 

"I don't know," Doyoung admitted honestly. "You?" 

"I-I don't know either. I've never..." 

"Me either." 

They paused for a moment to catch their breaths before Doyoung spoke. 

"I wouldn't have thought you were a . You're popular and stuff." 

"I've gotten a few offers over the years," Jaehyun admitted. "But...I've kinda been saving it. For you." 

Doyoung chuckled; he didn't know quite what to say to that. "Wow....that's...that's crazy, that you would've waited for me." 

"Yeah...doesn't mean I'm ready now though. I don't even have lube," Jaehyun responded. 

"I...I think we should wait," Doyoung finally said. "There's no rush. We've got our whole lives." 

"Yeah. You're right," Jaehyun responded. "I'm glad you get it." 

Doyoung reached up, cupping Jaehyun's cheek and rubbing his soft skin. "Of course. We are soulmates of course. And it doesn't mean I don't love you. Because I do." 

"Of course," Jaehyun responded, pecking Doyoung's lips and rolling off of him. "I love you too." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: hey guys! just wanted to do a little check in with you all! I hope you like the direction this story is going in <3  we are almost at the finale of the story, so the next few chapters will each be dedicated to the couples! next chapter is 100% johnil (with possibly some rated m action ;)).  im also going on vacation for 10 days starting monday, so no updates until I get back :/ but i promise i'll never give this story up! let me know how youre enjoying the story! Love, RainbowDonkeys